Geoff Keighley’s “The Game Awards” this year was packed with reveals and updates for many, and it was a fairly big night for fans of Final Fantasy – with the reveal of the official theme song and new trailer for 2024’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth taking the spotlight.
For those with a more urgent itch in need of scratching, Final Fantasy XVI also shadow-dropped its first of two promised paid DLC episodes, entitled Echoes of the Fallen, and confirmed the Leviathan-centric second episode, The Rising Tide, would be released in the spring of 2024.

As well new gear, new background music for the base, and a Buster Sword weapon skin from Final Fantasy VII Remake, Echoes adds a new dungeon to the endgame content of XVI. To access it, players need to have unlocked the final quest, “Back to Their Origin”, and must have completed the optional sidequests called “Cut from the Cloth,” “Phoenix, Heal Thyself,” “Where There’s a Will”, and “Priceless”. This then triggers new dialogue with the vendor Charon at the Hideaway, allowing players to embark on the roughly 2-3 hour content.
In my recent review, I said that XVI’s story and combat system were extremely polished, but its lack of discovery and undercooked RPG elements left some fans wanting. Echoes does nothing to change this assessment, but does give you a reason to jump back in if you enjoyed your time with the game. You might just need to find a few hordes to remember all of your favourite combos first, though.
In contrast to the base game, Echoes is relatively light on new story, and plays more like an optional challenge dungeon or endgame sidequest that could have been in the main game, though any addition to the very well-woven story will be welcome for most.
Over the course of the episode, Clive and the gang attempt to find the source of some poor quality magic crystals that have made their way onto the black market, and find themselves exploring the ruins of their high-tech ancestors regularly referenced in the main game. The story strengthens Clive’s resolve in his mission to rid the world of the Mothercrystals, but it is largely ground already tread in the main scenario.
Instead, Echoes leans into giving players a more challenging combat experience with a series of several new boss battles. Fans of Final Fantasy XIV will undoubtedly catch many references to the Omega Raids, and the boss battles employ several mechanics reminiscent of raid battles in the critically-acclaimed MMO. The final boss in particular definitely feels like a worthy addition to the series’ legacy of challenging superbosses.

The dungeon area provides a few new accessories not in the base game, which give significant benefits to Clive – such as the Escapement Bit, which reduces the cooldown of all abilities following a precision dodge, and the Assailment Bit, which raises the stagger multiplier cap from 150% to 200%. These will no doubt help players who value the game’s Arcade Mode to push the limits of the signature combat system.
At only £7.99 / $9.99, the amount of content does feel worth it. In an interview with gaming magazine Famitsu, the developers teased that The Rising Tide will be more substantial, at around 10 hours of content – with the trailer showing Clive using new Eikonic powers, and another Eikon battle with Leviathan the Lost, who was brazenly absent from the original game. The full season pass promises a discounted price at £19.99 / $24.99, so the second episode’s pricing would certainly suggest it will have significantly more content to be justified – and I cannot wait to jump back in again next year.
Criteria | Scores | Our Score |
---|---|---|
Storyline | 1-5 | 2 |
Gameplay | 1-5 | 4 |
Value/Cost | 1-5 | 5 |
Controls | 1-5 | 5 |
Length | 1-5 | 4 |
